"Yo~ Yukino, good evening."
In a dream, in the library, Hoshimi, lying on the table soaking up the sun, lifted his hand to greet Yukino who had appeared behind him.
"…Good evening."
Hearing Yukino's cold voice, Hoshimi turned around in surprise.
Wow! Yukino actually learned to greet him!
"What's wrong?" Yukino walked over to Hoshimi, looking at him with a hint of curiosity.
"Nothing. Please, have a seat." Hoshimi blinked and gestured towards the chair next to him.
"No, I'm going to find the books I need to read tonight first."
With that, Yukino turned and walked towards the densely packed bookshelf area.
Halfway there, Yukino slightly turned her head and calmly said, "Hoshimi, don't forget to improve my memory."
"Okay~ It's already done." Hoshimi, lazily basking in the sun, made an "OK" gesture with his right hand.
"Mm..." Yukino turned back and continued walking towards the bookshelf.
After a while, Yukino returned to the reading area with a stack of books.
She placed the books on the table and then smoothed her skirt as she sat down in the chair next to Hoshimi.
Next, she took out the top book from the stack, a "Chinese-Japanese Dictionary," and a "Grade 1 Chinese Textbook" and placed them in front of herself.
"Preparing to learn Chinese?" Hoshimi, lazily half-closed his eyes, asked.
"Mm." Yukino responded briefly, not paying much attention to Hoshimi, and started to study the textbook on her own.
"Do you want me to teach you?" Hoshimi, intrigued, sat up and leaned over to Yukino.
"No." Yukino gave Hoshimi a sideways glance, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "If you teach me, I'd probably never learn."
"Why not? I've got experience teaching. I guarantee you can learn quickly."
"Hehe~" Yukino snorted coldly, using her index finger to push Hoshimi's leaning face away. "I don't need you. I'll learn on my own."
She hadn't forgotten what happened last time when Hoshimi taught her pinyin and took the opportunity to do something else.
If such things happened a few more times in one night, her learning efficiency would drop to zero.
"Alright then." Hoshimi didn't press further. He conjured a reading pen from his memory and held it in his hand.
"Here's a reading pen. Just point it at any word you don't understand." Hoshimi smilingly placed the pen next to the "Chinese-Japanese Dictionary."
"What's this?" Yukino asked.
"It's a reading pen. Haven't you seen one before?"
Yukino shook her head. She had neither used nor seen such a thing before.
When she was learning foreign languages as a child, she found it quite easy and didn't need any additional tools.
"It's quite a handy tool. You'll understand once you use it for a bit." Hoshimi stood up, wrapped his arms around Yukino from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Mm, I understand." Yukino glanced at Hoshimi and then, expressionless, asked, "What are you getting up for? Are you planning to go out?"
"Mm, there are some secrets in the dream I want to investigate." Hoshimi calmly explained the excuse he had already prepared.
"Is that so? Then you can go." Yukino seemed not to notice anything unusual. She didn't ask further and easily let Hoshimi leave.
"Mm~ Yukino, you're really kind~" Hoshimi affectionately rubbed Yukino's cheek before straightening up and heading out of the library.
"Hoshimi."
"Hmm?"
Hoshimi stopped, turning back to look at Yukino's profile.
"Come back in four hours. If you're even one minute late, don't think about coming to my house again." Yukino, focused on her book, said without looking up.
"Okay~ No problem, I'll be back on time." Hoshimi turned back, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed to Yukino in a gentlemanly manner.
The next moment, Hoshimi turned into a wisp of green smoke and vanished from the library.
"Hmph!"
In the spacious library, a cold hum with a hint of a small emotion echoed through the space.
…
In the dream, on a deserted street, Hoshimi, holding a cane, walked at a leisurely pace.
Yukino's kindness was unexpectedly good. After learning about Iwanaga Kotoko's special situation, her hostility had clearly diminished, and she was even able to tolerate him meeting Iwanaga Kotoko alone.
What surprised Hoshimi the most was that Yukino actually gave him four hours.
He had thought Yukino would only spare at most two hours for Iwanaga Kotoko. He didn't expect Yukino to be so generous, splitting the dream time equally between him and Iwanaga Kotoko.
What a pleasant surprise~
However, this situation might not last long. In the future, Yukino would eventually need to decide with Iwanaga Kotoko.
He didn't believe that Yukino's temperament and personality would allow her to share a husband with someone else in the future.
For now, enjoying this relatively stable daily life, one day at a time, was the best approach.
Also, he wasn't sure if Kotoko would accept the split arrangement. If not, he'd have to find a way to "persuade" the charming and laughable Kotoko-chan.
"Here will do."
Hoshimi stopped, using his cane to draw a hexagram on the street.
"Come forth according to the contract! It's decided to be you! One-eyed Yokai Princess!"
Hoshimi spread his arms, savoring the moment of being alone in his own dramatic fantasy.
The next second, the hexagram glowed brightly, and a blurry figure appeared within it.
Soon, the light faded, revealing Iwanaga Kotoko holding a reddish-brown cane, covering her right eye with a faint smile.
She glanced at the hexagram on the ground, and her smile deepened slightly.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and elegantly performed a curtsey towards Hoshimi.
"Goddess of Wisdom, Yokai Princess, I come at your summons."
Hoshimi tilted his head and lightly tapped Iwanaga Kotoko's head with his cane. "Hey~ Princess, why are you so cooperative today?"
"Senior Hoshimi, you're really too much~" Iwanaga Kotoko raised her index finger and pushed Hoshimi's cane away.
She took off her beret, dusted off imaginary dust, and put it back on.
Then she looked at Hoshimi with a sweet smile and open arms. "Come on, Hoshimi, there's no disturbance today. Come and hug me~"
Hoshimi stood in place, also opening his arms. "Come on, Kotoko, hug me. Don't worry about anything else. Just let your longing out."
The two stood facing each other, smiling as they waited for one to make the first move.
Soon, Kotoko puffed out her cheeks and angrily charged into Hoshimi's arms, hugging his waist. "How unfair, even though it's a long-awaited reunion, I still have to be the one to make the first move. Hoshimi, you're really cunning and unreasonable."
"Long-awaited reunion..." Hoshimi gently rubbed Kotoko's hair and asked with a hint of meaning, "Kotoko, do you think this counts as a brief separation feeling like a new marriage?"
"Of course, we're a legitimate married couple since we've had a wedding~" Kotoko seemed to realize something, lifting her head and letting her beautiful eyes shimmer with a different kind of sparkle.
"So what should we do now that we've reunited?" Hoshimi bent down and pressed his forehead against Kotoko's.
"What should we do?" Kotoko, with a slightly warm breath, countered.
"School swimsuit." Hoshimi suggested an idea.
"Water bed!" Kotoko added another idea.
They both agreed instantly and shared a knowing smile.
The next moment, they both vanished from the empty street.
...
Meanwhile, Yukino was diligently studying Chinese...
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